Stamped Concrete

Stamped Concrete Driveways, Patios, Pool Decks, Retaining WAlls

Stamped concrete is one of the hottest and most desired service for new surface installations for everyday usage. Whether it be for a driveway, patio, pool deck, sidewalk, walkway, even a retaining wall, concrete stamping may be something to look into that you may not have even considered.

One of the reasons that people are moving toward the stamped concrete trend is because it has the ability to replicate many different types of materials while remaining more durable, usually less expensive to install, and they can match the visual and textural aesthetics.

It's high time now for everyone to start moving towards a new modern style of creating surfaces around the NorCal. I mean, it's known as one of the most beautiful areas in the world, let's start showing what our style of living is all about. No more plain gray concrete if we can help it. Stamped concrete is a beautiful addition to any property, whether it be residential or commercial. Let's set you up with a free quote and a walkthrough today. Feel free to check out some of our pictures on our website, once we are in person, we'll let you check out our entire portfolio.

The Process of Concrete Stamping Sacramento

What is stamped concrete?

Stamped concrete is a special kind of concrete process that is created for the purpose of completely revolutionizing the look of regular old grey concrete. Think of stamped concrete as a 2.0 substitute for ol' grey. Often, stamped concrete is used as a substitute for another material. The whole purpose of stamped concrete is to replicate some other material such as wood, stone and brick using concrete and some concrete stamps. This means that when you get stamped concrete, you are getting concrete which will could look similar to another material, or even a completely unique type of surface.

Why do people get stamped concrete?

The main reason why people get concrete stamping is because of the cost to create and maintain. It's so much cheaper to get stamped concrete than to install and maintain many of the surfaces and materials that it is able to camoflauge as. Compared to other materials, concrete which is stamped to look like another material is cheaper than the material that a person wants to replicate. This means that if you find that the material that you want is too expensive for the budget, then you can get stamped concrete as a cheaper alternative. That way, you can save money and you do not sacrifice the authentic, texture of the real material.

Along with the price affordability comes the range of colors and patterns for home owners. For example, you can choose to replicate stones by having stones pressed into your concrete. Or you can create a brick texture for your concrete patio so that the patio looks like a patio made entirely out of bricks. As an added bonus, you can get completely creative with it. Instead of being stuck with red bricks for your wall, you can have stamped concrete mixed with blue colors, or green! Have you ever even considered green bricks?!

Whichever way that you look at it, stamped concrete is the ultimate substitute for expensive materials and for variety of options. Unless you are willing to pay more to get a natural look using expensive materials (which we can absolutely help with), using stamped concrete can save money and give you more choice in terms of texture, size of area and extra features that you want.

How do we install stamped concrete for your pool decks, driveways, patios, and retaining walls?

Here is the process that we go through during our concrete stamping process:

First, we gotta decide which patterns and textures that you want for your concrete.

This aspect of the process should be meticulously focused on. You should pay special consideration to the grout lines for repetitive patterns such as bricks or wood shapes.

Always do a trial run to see which patterns work and which patterns do not work. The exact process of choosing the texture and color of the concrete is beyond the scope of this article, but you should always find a professional to design your stamped concrete for you if you want the permanent look that you truly desire.

Place the concrete into the specified area.

The process of creating stamped concrete is similar to creating normal concrete. But the difference that completely separates the two types of concrete is that you are adding texture and color to the concrete; which you would not normally do for many projects. Always measure out the area that you want covered in concrete and follow the normal concrete laying procedures when pouring concrete.

Once the concrete in place, concrete has to be colored to look like the material that you want to replicate.

There are a few ways that you can go about coloring the concrete. It is entirely dependent on your budget and your long-term expectations for the stamped concrete.

The first is using the integral coloring method. This is basically pouring liquid color into the concrete mixture before pouring the concrete. The effect of this method is that the color on the concrete will stay that color, especially in an area where the weather and excessive wear can erode the concrete surface very quickly.

The second method is the broadcast method. This method involves using colored hardener powder to the surface of the freshly poured concrete. An eighth of the concrete will be penetrated by the colored powder. Use this method if you are not worried about excessive wear on the concrete surface.

We are sure to spread the coloring all on the surface of the concrete as much as possible. This should be done once the initial floating and excess bleed water has been absorbed by the concrete.

Apply the color release agent.

This is an absolute must. If this is not done, and some people skimp on this, then the stamps that are used to texture the concrete will stick on to the concrete surface.

The color release agent acts as a bond breaker between the stamps and the concrete. It also acts as a color enhancer to impart subtle color differences in the concrete. Like the broadcast method, you apply the release agent powder evenly over the surface of the concrete.

Texture the concrete.

This is the fun part, apart from deciding which textures and colors that you want for your stamped concrete. What happens here is that the stamps that will be used to create the textures for your concrete will be placed onto the concrete surface.

The main thing that you need to do here in this situation is to find out whether surface has the right amount of plasticity to place the concrete stamps on the surface. If you begin early, the concrete will not be firm enough to hold the weight to stamp the surface. If done too late, it will be difficult to stamp the concrete; leaving you with a poorly textured surface on the concrete.

As you texture the concrete, you can do some detail work on the stamped surface. Things such as removing excessive concrete, or using a chisel to enhance the textured surface. This should be done as the concrete is being set.

Use a high powered water sprayer to clean the concrete.

After 24 hours, a sprayer is used to clean off the color release agent. Adding a curing compound will lock in the moisture under the concrete surface.

When we add the concrete curing compound much of it is entirely dependent on the type of curing compound used. Some can be applied on the same day, some compounds require you to wait a certain period of time etc.

Once compound has been added, we create joints to prevent cracked concrete and apply a sealant to maintain durability.

In sum, that's basically the process. Stamped concrete is a great route to go if you are looking for a cheaper alternative to expensive materials and have a budget to work with while still getting an excellent look. There is a reason that concrete stamping is increasing in popularity all over the world. You're in California, let's be ahead of the curve! Call us today - (916) 553-2299